Archive for the 'Proverbs' Category

Fear that Leads to Comfort

Published on October 31, 2011 in Acts and Proverbs. 1 Comment

Dan Phillips has written an excellent post on why fear and comfort are a healthy combination.

Wouldn’t you think that “fear” and “comfort” are antonyms, like “love” and “hate,” or “darkness” and “light”?

In a Biblical context, we might most quickly associate the word “fear” with “of the LORD,” or “of Yahweh.” That topic — “the fear of Yahweh” — is a major Biblical theme. Clearly, in Proverbs, it is a literally foundational thought (cf. 1:7; 9:10; 31:30). In the Proverbs book, a chapter of 40+ pages traces the concept its older Old Testament appearances, just so we can begin to understand of Solomon’s use throughout the book of Proverbs. One discovery is that the concept itself frames and must color our understanding of each individual verse within the entire book.

When we develop the concept Biblically, we feel the burden to show that the fear of Yahweh is not (as some might think) an Old Testament concept as opposed to a New Testament concept. Indeed, it is quite literally a pan-Biblical concept.

This stood out to me in a recent daily Bible reading. Acts 9:31 leapt out at me in this context:

Ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐκκλησία καθ᾽ ὅλης τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ Γαλιλαίας καὶ Σαμαρείας εἶχεν εἰρήνην οἰκοδομουμένη καὶ πορευομένη τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τῇ παρακλήσει τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐπληθύνετο.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Read the rest here.

Even in laughter the heart may ache

Published on August 24, 2011 in Proverbs. 0 Comments

“Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief (Proverbs 14:13).”

Have you ever noticed someone who seems to be making all the wrong decisions, and yet he or she seems happy about it?  Perhaps you talk to a friend about wrong decisions and the person responds, “Well it may be wrong, but I’ve never been happier.”

How do you interpret that?  What do you say to a person who is having the time of his or her life doing the wrong thing?

Proverbs 14:13 says that even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.  The person who seems to be laughing to you may still have a great emptiness or ache at the center of their lives.  The laughter you see may only mask hurt that is inside.

If you are close, you might just ask the person, “Yes, I know there is ‘laughter’ in your life, but do you still ache as well?”

But, if the person counters that he or she is thoroughly happy about his or her direction, then consider warning them from the last part of the Proverb.  “Joy may end in grief”  Or, as Paul says in Galatians, don’t be deceived.  God cannot be mocked.  You will reap what you sow.

True joy flows out of a heart bursting with the knowledge of Christ.  And, that laughter only anticipates a time of eternal joy when we will know the Lord Jesus Christ forever.

God’s Wisdom in Proverbs available for Pre-Order

Published on August 2, 2011 in Proverbs. 0 Comments

Dan Phillips excellent book on Proverbs is now available for a 50% pre-order discount.

One of the greatest blessings of my life has been the book of Proverbs. Decades ago I heard someone give the challenge to read the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds with the date. For instance, today is August 2, so today I read Proverbs 2.

When I first began to study Proverbs, there were not a lot of quality commentaries available. That has since changed, most notably with Bruce Waltke’s two volume masterpiece. However, there has continued to be a dearth of books that provide a quality introduction to Proverbs.  Now that is changing with Dan Phillips forthcoming book.

Here’s the endorsement I wrote:

Though many know that the wisdom diamonds of Proverbs are worth more than the Crown Jewels, they feel unprepared to study this rich section of Scripture.  Now, Daniel Phillips has given us a resource that shows us how to mine Proverbs in order to build up a rich storehouse of wisdom.  Indeed, Phillips puts the wisdom jewels of Proverbs on display.  Building on decades of study, and with meticulous attention to the biblical text and theological scholarship, God’s Wisdom in Proverbs deserves a place on the shelf of every student of the Word of God.

 

A Chapter of Proverbs Today (Fear of man will prove to be a snare . . .)

Published on March 29, 2011 in Parenting and Proverbs. 1 Comment

Wisdom is the saw we use to cut through life. One of the best ways to sharpen your saw is to spend regular time in the book of Proverbs. Over time, Proverbs will become a part of your thought process.

I encourage our congregation that for the rest of their lives, they should have a discipline of reading the day’s chapter of Proverbs.  Today is the 29th, so read the 29th chapter.

Don’t be legalistic about it.  It doesn’t need to be every day.  But maybe 3-5 times a week read a chapter and write at the top of that chapter in your bible the month and year.  So today I would write 3/11.

You don’t have to spend extended time doing this, but make a point to let at least one Proverb sink in. Write a note paraphrasing it next to the Proverb.  Read it aloud. Tell someone about it.

On the 29th, you might consider Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trust in the LORD is safe.”

All of us struggle at points being more concerned with what people think than with what God thinks.  What does it look like in your world to fear people?

  • Maybe for a teenager it looks like being too fashion conscious, too concerned about what others think about your look.
  • For a parent, it might mean allowing your teen to do something which is against your better judgment because you don’t want to have friction at home.  (See this post on parenting).
  • For a pastor it might mean an unwillingness to preach the Word.  But, it also mean an unwillingness to take time off with your family because you are afraid of what other people would say.

On not grabbing the dog’s ears

Published on March 28, 2011 in Proverbs. 3 Comments

I recently became aware of a controversy brewing in the Evangelical / Internet world.  I know some of the people involved.  A post might generate some traffic and discussion.  But, I thought of Proverbs 26:17:

Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

Feeling overwhelmed and under-motivated?

Published on December 9, 2010 in Proverbs. 1 Comment

Keep track of what you do today.  You might be more productive than you realize.  And, you will get more accomplished if you keep track.

As you know, feeling overwhelmed and under-motivated is not a good combination.  The last times we want to be under-motivated are when we have a lot to do.

Part of the reason that you may be discouraged is that you don’t realize how much you truly are getting done.  You may feel like you are spinning your wheels, but the reality is you are being productive.

To counter this, one of the things I have learned to do when I find myself in that place is to keep a list of what I am accomplishing on a particular day.  You don’t need to go into great detail.  Just jot down what you are doing.

The sorts of things I have jotted down today are:

  • Worked on fixing a cabinet for Jamie
  • Got dry cleaning ready to go
  • Prepared a bank deposit
  • Ordered some photos as a gift for a friend
  • Wrote this blog post

I’ll spare you all the details.  But, you get the idea. 

At the same time, because I am keeping track, I will be stoked to do more.

By the time today is over, I plan to have a long list of things checked off.  Maybe I’ll even feel underwhelmed and over-motivated.

See also Leaders Know How to Pick Up a Crumb and Proverbs 6:6-10!

Be thankful for your wife on the 31st

Published on October 31, 2010 in Marriage and Proverbs. 1 Comment

As I have mentioned several times (see here or here), it is a very good practice to read the day’s chapter of Proverbs.  It’s a good idea to do two things when you read a chapter of Proverbs:

  1. Write the month and year at the top of the chapter.  Over time, it will encourage you to cover the entire book.
  2. Write prayers in your Bible or paraphrase a Proverb.  Put it in your own words.

Today is the 31st of October; Why not read Proverbs 31?  If you have a godly wife like I do, then you will never read Proverbs 31 without being thankful.

I take Proverbs notes in many different Bibles.  Below is a scan of just one of them.  It makes me smile to see how many different times in reading through Proverbs 31 I have been thankful for my wife or prayed for her.  IF, and this is a big IF, If you can read my writing, notice the different ways this chapter of Proverbs has encouraged me to pray for my wife.

God will work in your marriage in wonderful ways, if you consistently read God’s Word and then pray for your spouse.

Scan of Proverbs 31 page

We know you didn’t see what we meant about your blind spot, that’s why it’s called a blind spot.

Published on August 16, 2010 in Proverbs and Wisdom and Decision Making. 0 Comments

Stating the obvious, we don’t see blind spots.  That’s why they’re called blind spots.  So, rather than being defensive when someone points something out, let’s listen to advice and accept instruction – - that in the end we can be wise (Proverbs 19:20).

Proverbs 17:10 – A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.  That is, a man of understanding doesn’t defensively deny blind spots when they come his way.  He allows them to shape his character.

The sluggard is no freak

Published on July 30, 2010 in Proverbs. 0 Comments

If you would like to study Proverbs, I highly recommend, Proverbs (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries).

With the ever quotable Kidner’s help, Justin Taylor provides a concise summary of the lazy person in Proverbs.  Notice that it isn’t hard to become a sluggard.  It’s as easy as falling asleep.

Derek Kidner, in his 1964 commentary on Proverbs, writes about the sluggard (pp. 42-43):

The sluggard in Proverbs is a figure of tragi-comedy, with his sheer animal laziness (he is more than anchored to his bed: he is hinged to it, 26:14), his preposterous excuses (“there is a lion outside!” 26:13; 22:13) and his final helplessness.

Kidner identified four features of the sluggard according to Proverbs:

(1) He will not begin things. When we ask him (6:9, 10) “How long?” “When…?”, we are being too definite for him. He doesn’t know. All he knows is his delicious drowsiness; all he asks is a little respite: “a little…a little…a little…”. He does not commit himself to a refusal, but deceives himself by the smallness of his surrenders. So, by inches and minutes, his opportunity slips away.

(2) He will not finish things. The rare effort of beginning has been too much; the impulse dies. So his quarry goes bad on him (12:27) and his meal goes cold on him (19:24; 26:15).

(3) He will not face things. He comes to believe his own excuses (perhaps there is a lion out there, 22:13), and to rationalize his laziness; for he is “wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason” (26:16). Because he makes a habit of the soft choice (he “will not plow by reason of the cold,” 20:4) his character suffers as much as his business, so that he is implied in 15:19 to be fundamentally dishonest…

Read the rest here.

Can anything be less than nothing?

Published on July 3, 2010 in Parenting, Proverbs and Recommended Reading. 0 Comments

Fair time is not so awful far away (See Remembering the 1972 County Fair in Keosauqua, IA).  Surely you know some little girl you can encourage to read Charlotte’s Web.  What a warm way to teach Proverbs 18:24.

Wilbur feels the pain of loneliness:

“Certainly not,” said the lamb. “In the first place, I cannot get into your pen, as I am not old enough to jump over the fence.  In the second place, I am not interested in pigs.  Pigs mean less than nothing to me.”

“What do you mean, less than nothing?” replied Wilbur.  “I don’t think there is any such thing as less than nothing?  Nothing is absolutely the limit of nothingness.  It’s the lowest you can go.  It’s the end of the line.  How can something be less than nothing?  If there were something that was less than nothing, then nothing would not be nothing, it would be something – - even though it’s just a very little bit of something – - But if nothing is nothing, then nothing has nothing that is less than it is.”

“Oh, be quiet!” said the lamb.  “Go play by yourself!  I don’t play with pigs.”

Yet, Wilbur finds a friend.

Wilbur never forgot Charlotte.  Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite too her place in his heart.  It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.  Charlotte was both.

A companion of many friends may come to ruin, but there’s a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Prov 18:24).